A family searches for hope and justice in Latté Da musical 'We Shall Someday'

Bucking trends in the field, Theater Latté Da has roared back from the pandemic with a slew of sold-out hits, including a clarifying revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along," the arresting premiere of the musical adaptation of "Twelve Angry Men," and a joy-filled mounting of "Hello, Dolly!"

The company, which recently celebrated its 25th year, hopes to continue that streak with the world premiere of "We Shall Someday" by composer Ted Shen and book writer Harrison David Rivers. The musical, about a Black family grappling with violence and inequality across three generations, opens Saturday at Minneapolis' Ritz Theater.

"Fundamentally, this is a [show] about what gets passed down from generation to generation," said director and choreographer Kelli Foster Warder. "Police violence is one of the things mentioned in it but there are lots of other things about this family that are covered in a delightful and funny way."

Foster Warder directed and choreographed "Dolly" with a fresh lens and a cast of 11. "Someday" has a much smaller cast, but its three people dig deeply into their hearts, she said.

The musical tells the story of struggle and overcoming for the Tates. In 1961, grandfather Julius leaves his job as a short order cook at a diner in Arkansas to seek justice and equality as a Freedom Rider. The story then jumps to 1988 when his daughter, Ruby, grapples with brutality against her 15-year-old son, Jay. And the last act is set in 1992 when Jay, a college sophomore, gets shaken up by the Rodney King beating.

How "Someday" came to be highlights the niche that Latté Da has carved out as a developer of musical theater in the nation. On a 2019 trip to see shows in New York, associate artistic director Elissa Adams took in a chamber piece called "Broadbend, Arkansas." She was first interested in it because Rivers, who is an unofficial playwright-in-residence at Latté Da, had written the book.

Adams was struck by the use of musical monologues and the way the material tracked the family through three generations.

"That formal adventurousness made me think that would be great fit for us," Adams said.

Adams called Peter Rothstein, the founding artistic director, and they, in turn, reached out to Rivers. The plan was to bring the piece as is to Minneapolis. But Rivers and Shen had a counteroffer. "Broadbend" was about two generations of a family. The creators wanted to add a third.

The first two acts had a historical distance. Rivers and Shen wanted to add something from the past that did not feel distant.

"There's something about the protests around Rodney King that feel more immediate and present," Rivers said.

Latté Da agreed to their plan, and "Someday," was expanded and re-christened.

The King beating was a signal event in history, and not just because of the horror the video evoked, Foster Warder said. The incident came into the world's consciousness because it was filmed on home video long before our ubiquitous cellphones.

"Today, we can think of a million videos of this or that incident. But at the time, that was earth-shattering," Foster Warder said.

For Rivers, telling this story feels especially relevant now when out groups like trans kids are under siege.

"This is a really small show about small people who're making choices that are gigantic for them and, ultimately, us," Rivers said. "They contend with difficulty with humor and love and with a concern for body and spirit. These feel like the most human of things."

Rivers added that change, buoyed by hope, also starts out small, until people begin to know and care for each other.

"Someday" hopes to be a part of that understanding.

'We Shall Someday'
Who: Book and lyrics by Harrison David Rivers. Composed by Ted Shen. Directed and choreographed by Kelli Foster Warder.
When: 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends May 14.
Where: Ritz Theater, 345 13th Av. NE., Mpls.
Protocol: Masks required only at Wednesday and Sunday performances.
Tickets: $35-$71, 612-339-3003, latteda.org.